The Bureau of Reclamation and Jicarilla Apache Nation will be continuing negotiations on a proposed repayment contract for the Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project. The contract will provide the terms and conditions by which the Nation will repay its portion of project construction and operation, maintenance, and replacement costs.

The project, authorized by the Northwest New Mexico Rural Projects Act of 2009, will convey approximately 37,376 acre-feet of water annually from the San Juan River to the eastern section of the Navajo Nation, southwestern portion of the Jicarilla Apache Nation, and the city of Gallup via about 260 miles of pipeline, 24 pumping plants, and two water treatment plants.

This will be the fourth negotiation meeting; the first three were held in August, October, and November 2010. The meeting is scheduled for May 17 at 9:00 a.m. at the Nation's Headquarters located at 25 Hawks Drive, Dulce, New Mexico. All negotiations are open to the public.

The proposed contract and other pertinent documents will be available at the negotiation meeting, or can be obtained by contacting Brett Griffin of the Bureau of Reclamation, 835 East Second Avenue, Suite 300, Durango, Colorado, 81301; telephone (970) 385-6531 or e-mail at bgriffin@usbr.gov. The documents are also available on our web site under "Current Focus".